Bottle washing machine



Sept. 28, 1937. J. R. DOSTAL BOTTLE WASHING MACHINE Filed Aug. 31, 1936 Fm, l.

2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR W Z /W//// ATTORNEYS J. R. DOSTAL Sept. 28, 1937. J. R. DOSTAL 2,094,393

BOTTLE WASHING MACHINE Filed Aug. 31, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 5.

INVENTOR J. R. DOSTAL ATTORNEYS II 7IIIIIIIII Another salient object Patented Sept. 28, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BOTTLE WASHING MACHINE John R. 'Dostal, Milwaukee,'Wis. ApplicationAugust 31, 1936, Serial No. 98,693

' 2 Claims. (01. lee-+131) This invention appertains to bottle washing machines, and more particularly to'novel means for conveying thebottlesthrough the machine I the sliding locking plates.

Figure, 5 is ,an

incident to the washing thereof.

One of the primaryob jts of my invention is to provide an endless conveyor for the bottles,

having novel means for locking the bottles thereon and releasing the bottles therefrom when the conveyor reaches a predetermined position, whereby to permit the quick and expeditious loading and unloading of the bottles from the conveyor.

of. my invention is to provide novel means forconstructing the conveyor, whereby the same will receive various sizes and shapes of bottles and securely lock and hold the bottles in position against accidental displacement during the travel of the conveyor and during the various washing and rinsing operations.

A further important object of my invention is to provide a novel conveyor belt for milk bottle washing machines including a plurality of transversely extending flights or links pivotally connected together, each including a plurality of cups for receiving the necks of the bottles and a sliding locking plate for engaging and releasably gripping the bottles in place on the conveyor belt.

A still further object of my invention is the provision of means carried by the frame of the casing of the machine for engaging the sliding lock plates during the travel of the belt for automatically moving the plates to their gripping position and to their releasing position, so that the operator can quickly and conveniently place and remove the bottles from {the belt.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement, and formation of parts, as will be hereinafter more specifically described, claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary top plan view of a milk bottle washing machine, with parts thereof broken away and in section to illustrate the novel conveyor belt. I

Figure 2 is a fragmentary "transverse section through the machine, taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows, the view being taken on a larger scale than Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a detail horizontal section through one of the bottle receiving cups, the view being taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Figure 2,

loo-kingin the direction of the arrows, the view beingon an enlarged scale.

Figure 4 is a detailperspective View of one of for moving the slide plates to their gripping po-- sition. I 15 Figure 8 is a similar view showing thecam plate or track for moving the slide plates to their open releasing position.

Referring to the drawings in detail, wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the letter M-generally indicates a bottle washin machine, which includes my novel conveyor belt B.

The present invention resides in the novel construction of the conveyor belt, and hence the machine M can be considered of any preferred character, and only sufficient portions thereof have been illustrated to show the use of the belt.

The washing machine M may include a casing [0 having parallel spaced side walls II and I2 and a top wall l3. The top wall l3 and the side walls H and I2 are so constructed as to provide an opening in the casing, whereby the bottles can be placed on and removed from the belt. 35

The inner faces of the side walls of the casing are provided with upper and lower runways or tracks l4 and I5, over which the belt travels, and means is provided for forcibly driving the belt so that the same will continuously travel in the casing. v

- My improved conveyor belt B comprises a. plurality of transversely extending flights or links 16. The links or flights can be formed of cast iron, if so desired, and the outer terminals there- 45 of have formed thereon on one side pairs of pivot ears l1 and single pivot ears l8 on the opposite side.

The single pivot ears of one link or flight are received between the pairs of pivot ears of an 50 adjacent link or flight, and obviously suitable pivot pinsare utilized for connecting these ears together.

I prefer to mount on these same pivot pins antifriction rollers l9 for engaging the ways or tracks l4 and Hi to facilitate the movement of the conveyor belt thereover. Suitably sized openings 20 are formed in the plates for receiving the necks of the bottles, and the lower face of the links or flights have cast or formed thereon depending fingers 2|, which serve to limit the downward insertion of the bottle necks through the openings 20. Each link or flight has arranged in spaced relation to the same a plurality of bottle receiving cups 22, which are arranged directly in line with the openings 20. .These cups 22 are integrally joined by webs 23, and side plates 24 are utilized for connecting the cups with the link or flight. It is to be understood that the cups are cast or otherwise formed integral with the links, and that the webs 23 and'the side walls 24 define, in conjunction with the body portion of the links, a longitudinally extending guideway for the reception of the sliding locking plates 25.

The sliding locking plates 25 are also preferably formed from a single casting, and the same have formed therein substantially keyhole-shaped slots and notches 26. Thus, each slot and notch embodies an enlarged mouth portion 21 and a restricted neck portion 28. Formed on one end of each slide plate is a right-angularly extending shoe 29'. These shoes are preferably beveled or tapered adjacent to one end, as at 3|], to form athin leading edge.

When the slide plates are in one position, the enlarged portion 21 of the keyho1e-shaped openings or notches are in direct line with the cups 22 and the openings 20, and hence the bottles can be conveniently and quickly inserted in the cups and the openings. When the slide plates are in another one of their positions, the restricted portions 28 of the slots 26 are in line with the cups 22 and the openings 20, and hence the walls of the narrow portions engage the bottle necks inward of the peripheral neck beads; hence, the bottles are securely locked on the belt against accidental displacement.

As heretofore brought out, it is one of the salient features of the invention to provide automatic means for operating the slide plates, whereby the same will be moved to their locking or bottle neck gripping position, and to their open bottle neck releasing position.

The means for moving the slide plates to their releasing position consists of a cam track 3| dis-' posed in the path of the travel of the shoes 30. This cam trackcan be securely bolted or otherwise secured to the side wall I I of the casing, and the same embodies a depending inclined flange 32, and the shoes are adapted to engage the inside edge of this flange, as will be later set forth.

The means for moving the slide plates to their locking or bottle neck gripping position includes ,a similar cam track 33, which is likewise rigidly secured to the side wall I of the. casing. This cam track 33 also embodies a depending inclined flange 34, and the shoes are adapted to engage the outer face of this flange, as will be also hereinafter more fully set forth.

The cam tracks 3| and 33 are located adjacent to the upper run of the conveyor belt, and the cam track 3| is arranged on one side of the entrance opening to the machine, and the cam track 33 is located adjacent to the other side of the opening.

In operation of my improved conveyor belt, considering that the slide plates 25 are in their open position and the washed bottles have been removed from the cups 22, the operator standing at one side of the machine adjacent to the entrance opening of the machine takes the soiled bottles and places the same neck downward into the cups as the conveyor belt travels by. Due to the. arrangement and the large size of the cups, the bottles can be quickly and conveniently placed on the conveyor, and the bottles are limited in their downward movement by the legs 2|.

Considering that a flight or link has been loaded with the bottles and the same moves past the opening, the shoe 30 thereof will strike the outer face of the inclined flange 34, and the shoe and its plate will be gradually forced inwardly to move the restricted portions 29 of the slots and notches into engagement with the bottle necks and securely lock and hold the bottles in position.

During the travel of the bottles through the machine the same are thoroughly washed and rinsed, and as the washed bottles reach the entrance opening the tapered face of the shoes engages the inner surface of the inclined flanges 32, and the shoes and the slide plates are gradually moved outwardly until the enlarged portions 21 of the slots and notches come into alinement with the cups, at which time. the bottles can be quickly removed from the conveyor.

If so preferred and desired, plates 35 can be secured to the side wall so that as the shoes leave the flanges 34 the same will engage the inner edges of the plates, whereby the slide plates will be held against accidental movement. These holding plates 35 can extend from the cam track 33 around the machine to the cam track 3|. The space between the cam tracks 3| and 33 is left blank and without a holding plate.

The cups will receive various sizes and characters of milk bottles, and as all milk bottles are provided with a standard bead, these various sizes and shapes of bottles will be effectively held by the slide plates.

From the foregoing description it can be seen that I have provided an exceptionally simple and durable means for conveying various sizes and shapes of milk bottles through a washing machine on an endless conveyor and for automatically locking and releasing the bottles on and from the conveyor.

Changes in details may be made without departing from the spirit or the scope of my invention, but what I claim as new is:

1. In a milk bottle .washing machine including, a casing, and an endless conveyor mounted for traveling movement in said casing, said conveyor having a plurality of transversely extending flights pivotally connected together, a plurality of bottle receiving cups on each flight, inwardly extending fingers on the flights for limiting the insertion of the bottles in the cups, said flights having guideways therein between the cups and the fingers, a slide plate mounted in each guideway for movement longitudinally of the flights, each of said slide plates having a plurality of keyhole-shaped notches therein, the restricted portions of the notches being adapted to be disposed in vertical alinement with the cups when the slide plates are in one position, and the enlarged portion of the slots in alinement with the cups when the slide plates are in another position, means for limiting the inward sliding movement of the plates in the flights, depending shoes on the outer ends of the slide plates having tapered leading edges and cam tracks disposed in the path of the shoes for moving the plates back and forth in the flights.

ceiving openings therein, a plurality of connected bottle-receiving cups extending longitudinally of the flights and connected with the sides thereof in spaced relation to the flights defining in connection therewith longitudinally extending deways, xneans for limiting the insertion of the bottles in the cups and openings, and slide plates mounted in the guideways for releasably gripping the bottle necks when the slide plates are in a predetermined position, and for releasing the bottle netkswhen in another position, and means for automatically sliding the slide plates 1ongi-,-

tudinally in the guideways during the travel of the conveyor, as and for the purpose specified.

JOHN R. DOSTAL. 

